Lauren Caton, MPH
Program Initiated: 2021
Primary Advisor: Christine Tucker, PhD
Minor: Public Policy
Research Interests: reproductive justice, substance use disorder treatment, implementation and dissemination science, carceral healthcare, state-level policy, and political theory
Honors/Awards: Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice Training Grant (‘20-’21)
Bio: Before joining the department she worked at Stanford University’s Center for Behavioral Health Sciences and Implementation Research (CBHSIR) on a state-wide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) expansion project. Here she evaluated the state’s State Opioid Response (SOR)-funded implementation facilitation program and the Mother-Baby Substance Exposure Initiative (MBSEI). Prior, she gained qualitative research experience through several years in the reproductive justice space. At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and University of California, Berkeley’s Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity (SHARE) group she evaluated adolescent sexual health programming and pregnancy acceptability, respectively.
As a Center of Excellence Fellow, she works on the Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health (ICO4MCH) initiative, which aims to expand evidence-based practice adoption to improve county-level birth outcomes and reduce maternal mortality. She additionally serves on the evaluation team for the department’s Maternal Health Learning & Innovation Center (MHLIC).
She holds a BS in Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology from the University of Texas at Austin and a MPH in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health from the University of California, Berkeley.
Lauren is an avid reader, runner, and drummer! She also enjoys attending indie-folk/rock concerts and line dancing with friends.